peachyteabuck

[peachyteabuck]

MASKING MYTHS BUSTED: “Masking = Acting NT.”

FALSE.

Autistic masking does not necessarily mean “pretending to be allistic/neurotypical," although you’d definitely be forgiven for thinking it does.

Non-autistic researchers have been referring to it as “camouflaging” for years, framing it as an intentional choice to suppress autistic traits and replace them with allistic ones in order to “blend in.” Doing an internet search on the term will return several similar results.

But now, Autistic researchers are in the game, and their take is much more nuanced and comprehensive than that. (Funny how that happens, isn’t it?)

They’ve found that:

- It CAN be intentional but is often subconscious and involuntary 

- It is a protective response to trauma and feeling unsafe 

- It is often about suppressing more than just autistic traits 

- It is about identity management and being able to predict how people will treat you, not just “blending in”

Some people will lean into being “the bad kid” because they know that’s what people expect of them. Some people will even act “more autistic” because they know that’s what people expect of them. Others still will do things to attract attention in controllable, more “acceptable” ways to avoid attracting attention in unsafe, more stigmatizing ways. Not because they WANT to be that way, but because it lets them predict people’s responses better, which feels safer.

Also, there are Autistic people who can’t “pass” for non-autistic no matter how hard they try. That doesn’t mean they’re not masking. They may actually be working hard to suppress A LOT, they just can’t do everything to neuronormative standards.

None of these people will be accused of “blending in,” yet they are still masking their hearts out. When we assume they are not, we miss all the harm that masking is causing them. But they are suppressing themselves and suffering the consequences of that just as much as any Autistic person whose mask successfully says, “Hey, I’m just like you!”

(For more on this, please see the work of Dr. Amy Pearson and Kieran Rose.)

#siiiigh. yeah.

[peachyteabuck]

‘My cat Max’ by Irina ♡

#q

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#q

[peachyteabuck]

me trying to convince myself that the whole spectrum of human emotions is a good and necessary thing to feel even if its not comfortable while im actively experiencing emotions that make me feel like my bones are being dissolved in acid

[peachyteabuck]

I want to acknowledge that I know he's fine. I cannot express how optimistic the vet tech sounded about how well he's doing. There is a near infinitesimal chance of anything going wrong. It's an enema and anti nausea meds and other IV fluids. They have not even done the procedure that REQUIRES THE ANESTHESIA yet. He is fine.

and yet

This is my little boy. My tiny baby boy and he sits at my feet while I do my nightly scroll. He hangs out with me when I do yoga and gets in my way. he lays on my chest and rubs his head against mine. he knocks on doors if they're closed. he says hi to me when I use the bathroom. he's scared of the bean bag. he has to squish his squishmallows. look at how much BIGGER he is than madam and she knows he's in charge of him. he's so delicate like an orchid 😭

missing reuben so much :( he's my bed buddy, we have a whole routine 😭 I hope the vet staff is giving him so much love and talking about how much of a little baby he is 😭

#a diner classic;

[peachyteabuck]

missing reuben so much :( he's my bed buddy, we have a whole routine 😭 I hope the vet staff is giving him so much love and talking about how much of a little baby he is 😭

#hes so scared and i feel so bad #im sorry little buddy i promise im doing it to keep you alive #somehow it feels LESS bad than when cowboy had to go into the vet #like 😭 cowboy hated me. #reuben loves and trusts me #a diner classic; #lukis says things

[peachyteabuck]

best notification possible

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photos that remind me that this is the sweetest cat in the world and his $1000+ vet bills will be worth it because I love him so much

me: tonight I'm gonna go home and clean

reuben:

#a diner classic; #hes just a baby.

[peachyteabuck]

me: tonight I'm gonna go home and clean

reuben:

#second enema time ❤️ #lukis says things

[peachyteabuck]

ngl I keep forgetting that Hobby Lobby is a real store that people go to. That people actually think of it as a craft store and not as a crazy Christian mass artifact smuggler. I google "Hobby Lobby" and get a page full of results that make me go "wtf is this craft supplies and operating hours shit, I thought we all knew this place for smuggling looted cuneiform tablets out of Iraq"

[peachyteabuck]

i also forgot adhd meds do for my own self image. very hard to have a crisis about my job when i am cleaning

*goes two days without taking my adhd meds* damn bitch you really live like this??

[peachyteabuck]

Going to get this off my chest because I'm extremely ashamed of this but I'm down bad for adult a/tt/mo/z and I'm disgusted with myself for it

.

#this makes sense. he's got rizz i think

[peachyteabuck]

*goes two days without taking my adhd meds* damn bitch you really live like this??

#adderall'd me will need to clean up weekend me's mess tomorro #in my unmedicated defense. reuben spent 5 hours at the emergency vet sat. #childhood cat diagnosed with fip (maybe on sun) #and. frankly. it's very easy to not take meds when u are exhausted. #lukis says things #anyway what prompted this is trying to decide if i am hungry. #what i have eaten today: 2 pieces of candy. ramen with an egg. 2 bowls of cereal. #i am not an expert but that is NOT enough food for a human being

[peachyteabuck]

Annalaura_art

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REUBEN POOPED!!!

#not a ton probably but still.... progress!! #lukis says things

[peachyteabuck]

reblog for larger sample size

#i talk to myself like im a youtuber because for some #it keeps the rsd down when i fuck up

[peachyteabuck]

random lps dog transparents

#this is me btw